Buildings & Design Solutions Group: Projects

Energy VisualizationModern buildings produce huge
streams of data about their energy use and occupant comfort, but previously
there has been no good way to understand this information. Institute faculty
have created new data aggregation tools to distill this information into simple
visual displays that pinpoint areas of inefficient consumption and offer
crucial insights into overall building performance.

Uncertainty and Sensitivity AnalysisHow a building
is used and operated impacts energy consumption as much as its design. Factors
such as the number of people in a building, HVAC equipment, and electricity
loads from computers and other electronics can greatly affect a given
building’s efficiency. Innovative algorithms developed by our researchers help
identify which of these factors most strongly influence building performance, greatly
reducing the challenge of energy modeling a large commercial building.

Optimization and CalibrationHeating and cooling of
buildings is necessary to keep occupants comfortable, but at the cost of
increased energy consumption. Balancing these competing priorities is a key
goal of energy management efforts in buildings. The Institute is developing
advanced model-based optimization of building design and operation which can
deliver accurate estimates of building performance and identify the most
efficient management strategy.

In addition to integrated building systems, the Buildings
and Design Solutions Group is also doing research on smart grid stability. Buildings
already place a high load on the electrical grid. Adding distributed renewables
will make the challenge of providing a reliable flow of electricity even
greater. Our researchers are exploring sophisticated analysis and modeling
techniques to handle these added complexities.